— Melbourne —

Melbourne’s Mediterranean gourmet food safari

WRITTEN BY Editor • January 15, 2014

Venture deep into the heart of Melbourne's Greek cuisine hub.

Daphne Hatzistavros migrated from Greece as a 14-year-old with her family and settled in Melbourne’s eastern fringes. Inspired by an upbringing rich in cooking, she spent much of her adult life running takeaway bars and market stalls, until six years ago.

“I wanted to open somewhere dedicated to traditional Greek cooking, where people could pick up authentic ingredients and be inspired to cook traditional Greek cuisine,” says Daphne.

So, Alpha Food Market was born – a Santorini-blue delicatessen with everything from fettas, olives and oils, to frozen spinach pastries, bougatsa (traditional custard pie) and coffee beans, which have journeyed across the Atlantic to Oakleigh. It’s just one of the authentic Greek eateries in this Melbourne suburb, which celebrity chef Maeve O’Meara has described as “a total Hellenic immersion”.